The Cat and the Claw
"The Cat and the Claw" is the two-part series premiere of . Although it was the thirteenth and sixteenth episodes produced ("On Leather Wings" being the first), it was aired first to tap into the interest in the character of Catwoman aroused by the release of the live-action film Batman Returns. Plot Part I and Isis admire their newest "acquisition."]] Out in uptown Gotham City Catwoman sneaks into an expensive apartment and steals a valuable necklace using her cat Isis to see the security lasers and slip past them. However, Batman is watching and chases after the culprit. Catwoman is intrigued but leaps from the building top and uses her whip and acrobatic abilities to flee. Batman easily manages to catch up with her and chases her over the rooftops of Gotham. The chase eventually comes to an end in an alleyway and Catwoman attacks. She manages to bury him under trashcans and runs but Isis is almost run over in the middle of the road. Fortunately for Isis, Batman saves her. Catwoman blows a cat-whistle and calls Isis up. Later, a charity auction for animal preserves is held for a date with the most eligible bachelors in Gotham, next on the list: Bruce Wayne. The bidding goes on for a while and finally ends when Selina Kyle, a sponsor for a mountain lion preserve, bids ten thousand dollars for him. Bruce is delighted to be her date but Selina is more interested in saving the animals. Bruce insists on dating her and she agrees to go to lunch with him. Outside, police give chase to a military truck holding assault weapons. Bruce disappears and Batman takes the scene apprehending the criminals and stopping the robbery. One of the criminals manages to escape unnoticed into the sewers but the other two are captured. Commissioner Gordon goes to talk to Batman and tells him that Red Claw, leader of a terrorist group, is in Gotham and there are no leads. presents the plans for Multigon's resort.]] The next day, Selina and her secretary Maven, talk about the impending date but Selina is more interested in Batman. Just as Wayne comes up Selina's lawyer calls up and says that a deal has been called off. She had been looking to purchase land for a mountain lion preserve but Multigon International has taken it. Wayne offers to help and gets her a meeting with the company chairman, Mr. Stern. However, he refuses to help claiming that his company is going to build a major resort. Selina is angry claiming that the land is in the middle of nowhere. Mr. Stern claims that Multigon will "take care of the cats one way or another." Selina is outraged and threatens to have environmentalists alerted so that the company will be kept on close watch. After the meeting, Mr. Stern talks to Red Claw, who insists that they've come too far to let Selina get in their way. for saving her cat.]] That night Batman grills a mob boss for information on Red Claw. Meanwhile, Catwoman sneaks into Multigon and seeks information. While this goes on, Red Claw talks to her men about a train that will be transporting a viral plague that Interpol took from her organization. Just outside the room Catwoman searches through Multigon's hidden safe and takes pictures of their files. Unfortunately for her, she's being surveyed and Red Claw emerges with her men looking to kill the intruder. Catwoman manages to escape into the air vents but is pursued by thugs. Fortunately, she manages to leave cat shaped spikes all over the shaft stopping her pursuers. She then escapes up an elevator shaft but Red Claw and her thugs follow her to the roof. Catwoman jumps to a ledge on another building, but Red Claw shoots the ledge with an explosive nearly causing her to fall to her death. However, Batman saves Catwoman. Catwoman is grateful to him and tries to convince Batman to let her go but Batman refuses. Angered, Catwoman throws him from a building and runs off. With her mission complete, Catwoman returns home and unmasks revealing herself to be Selina Kyle. She tells Maven about what she discovered and believes that she'll save the mountain lions. Unbeknownst to her, however, one of Red Claws thugs is watching and asks, "But who is going to save you?" Part II escapes with the plague.]] In Gotham Park, the Mob Boss Batman grilled for information arrives and tells Batman that there are rumors of a train heist but he doesn't know if Red Claw and her terrorists are in on it. Batman goes to talk to Commissioner Gordon about it but there's nothing about it in the train schedule. However, Batman deduces that it's a military train and the information was classified. Gordon agrees and makes a call. Elsewhere, Red Claw and her thugs attack the train and easily manage to gain access to the plague. Things are complicated, however, when Batman shows up. All the same, Red Claw makes it into the train car and obtains the canister. Batman tries to stop her but she threatens to release the plague and kill everyone in a ten-mile radius. Batman is forced to back off while Red Claw mocks him saying that he has met his match. and Selina pass through the results of Bruce's driving.]] The next day, Selina and Bruce go out on their date, finally, but Red Claw's men start crashing their car into Bruce's trying to force him off a bridge. Bruce takes evasive driving maneuvers and finally forces the thugs off the bridge by playing chicken. Bruce takes Selina home and urges her to tell him if she's in trouble because he really cares about her, something he hasn't felt in a very long time. Selina refuses however and goes back into her apartment. Upset over the attempt on her life and knowing about the bunkers underneath the resort she "dresses up" and goes out for the night. Back in the Batcave, Batman wonders about Ms. Kyle's connection to Red Claw but has no clues. Just then, Alfred notices a cat hair on Bruce's coat. Remembering a hair left on his coat by Isis, Batman deduces Catwoman's identity. Meanwhile, Maven is attacked by a thug in her own apartment. Just before the thug can hurt her, Batman arrives and pummels him into submission. Batman then confronts Maven on Catwoman's activities and whereabouts. Maven gives up the information and tells Batman that Catwoman is in love with him. Batman doesn't respond to this information. is fittingly captured by the very creature her operation threatened.]] Elsewhere, Catwoman infiltrates Red Claw's facilities and takes pictures of their weapons. Unfortunately, Red Claw’s thugs catch her but Batman saves her. Batman tries to take her away but the duo is captured and left tied up in a bunker made by the government to hide officials. Red Claw leaves the plague virus with the two explaining that the virus is too dangerous to keep. She'll release a fake plague on Gotham and by the time it's realized to be a fake, she'll already have her ten billion dollar gold bouillon ransom. She drops a bit of acid onto the canister and evacuates the premises. Catwoman however, manages to cut the ropes with her claws and the pair escapes. Batman tells Catwoman to escape but he has to remain to destroy the plague. He spills gas from a tanker and tosses a grenade onto it thereby starting a fire that destroys the newly released virus. Then, to escape, he drives the gas tanker through the doors leaving the explosives inside to destroy the facility. Red Claw attempts to escape in a helicopter but the police arrive and stop her. Enraged, Red Claw attacks Catwoman but before she can kill her, a mountain lion attacks and pins her down. Catwoman then disappears into the shadows. Returning home, Catwoman finds that Maven is gone but Batman is there. Batman tells her that he "didn't want her taken away like a common criminal." Pleased, Catwoman replies, "So you do care." But when she gets too close he still locks her up in handcuffs and assures her, "More than you'll ever know." Background Information Trivia * Bruce Timm said that the end sequence is geared around the explosions, but they were artistically poor, and the animation was redone two to three times. Although he felt the final product was still awful, they ran out of time and had to air it. *In order to capitalize on the success of Batman and Batman Returns, Warner Brothers insisted that Catwoman's appearance be based on that of Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman from Batman Returns. It was the same with the look of The Penguin. *First appearances: Selina Kyle/Catwoman, her cat Isis, her secretary Maven, Mr. Stern (president of Multigon International) and Red Claw. * The tune played to reveal the plans for Multigon's resort is "Ode to Joy" by Beethoven. * Scenes from the first part of this episode were used in the game The Adventures of Batman and Robin, on level 4: "Tale of the Cat." Cast Quotes * Part 1 * Part 2 Cat and the Claw, The